Battle of Wits
by domina tempore
Summary: The battle strategies of the sons of Odin were very different. One sought to outmatch his opponent with brute strength; the other sought to outhink him. But the two of them were very similar in that they both sought to win. No slash, just brother!fic.


**Thor: **_A Battle of Wits_

_Disclaimer: Thor and all of its characters, locations, etc., belong to their respective owners (i.e. Norse Mythology), I'm just borrowing 'cos they're adorable. No copyright infringement intended! _

_Author's Note: I forget exactly what it was that sparked this fic in the first place, but I deeply enjoyed contrasting the way that they brothers think, and yet still making them brothers. Family relationships in fic make me happy. (: Movie!verse, but pre-movie. Enjoy!_

_Dedication: to Alydia Rackham here on FFN, and to Chip, Zemby, and Jay on Psychfic. They also happened to read this over for me before it went up. Thanks and much love to you girls!_

**ovovovo**

Loki faced his brother. A small, confident smirk curved his lips at the corners as he regarded Thor's discomfort. They had been at this for nearly an hour, and Thor had not yet made a decent action. The elder Prince put on a brave face for vanity's sake – it wasn't in him to admit his own defeat – and his eyes searched desperately for an opening, some move that he could make to turn the tide of their battle. Faintly amused, Loki let his eyes drift for a moment towards the one free piece that his brother had left to play. Thor followed his gaze, and Loki pulled his attention up quickly, to meet his brother's eyes.

"Well?"

Thor hesitated, his attention wavering between Loki and the move that had just been revealed to him. He was obviously wary to make any move when his advantage was all but mowed down, but the lure of a victory – however small – was too great for him to resist. His hand hovered over his pieces for a minute before seizing the white figure and pushing it forward into Loki's ranks. He crowed triumphantly , grinning at his brother. "Haha! Your eyes gave you away, dear brother. Tell me, is the Master of Tricks losing his touch?"

Loki saw the dare in Thor's eyes. "_Come on! Try to beat me." _He shook his head, chuckling to himself. "Oh, you have showed me, brother." Thor's grin widened, only to fall away as Loki's slender white hand lifted his piece and moved it into the spot that his brother's piece had just vacated. He had the satisfaction of seeing Thor's eyes widen and his jaw drop as he regarded the board. "You've showed me that you still lack patience," Loki continued, meeting his brother's stunned gaze. "Checkmate in nine moves."

Thor gaped. "But...but I had you on the run!" he protested. "I broke your ranks!"

And left your own undefended," Loki pointed out. "Chess is not a game that can be won by simple brute strength. It is a battle of wits; a game of cunning and strategy. And contrary to how you just played, brother, sending your army out to overrun the chessboard is _not _good strategy."

Thor had followed Loki's fingers as he illustrated the various mistakes in the game, but now he scoffed and threw up his hands. "It's a foolish game," he declared. "There's no honor, no sport in a game on a board!" He thumped his chest aggressively. "Give me honor in battle!"

Loki sighed, shook his head. "War is for foot-soldiers, Thor. Chess is a game of _Kings_."

Thor's brow furrowed as he regarded his little brother. Loki met his gaze coolly, his face smoothed into a neutral but regal expression. Thunder rumbling in his chest, Thor stepped into Loki's personal space and began to circle him, moving like a lion. Snake-like, Loki followed his steps, blinked once.

It was Thor who cracked first. The corners of his eyes began to crinkle, his lips twitched, and a less-than-majestic snort escaped him. That in turn caused Loki to smile, and before long the two of them were laughing uncontrollably. It was the kind of laughter that would have made their mother weep during their lessons of princely etiquette, unbridled as it rang through the hall. It had Loki holding his sides as Thor thumped him soundly on the back.

It wasn't until the bell that called everyone to dinner sounded that they were able to regain their composure. As they headed towards the great hall Thor slung an arm around his brother's shoulders. "You know I could have beaten you if I wanted to," he informed him, shaking a finger in his face. "I just thought that with my coronation at the end of the week, I should exercise some kingly humility and let my little brother have the game."

Another snort of laughter escaped Loki. "Are you serious? You're fortunate that I allowed the game to go on for nine moves. I could have beaten you in three."

"Oh? Do you mean to challenge the mighty Thor?"

"I wouldn't dream of it, brother. For I am wise enough to realize that the crown of a king will not make you a better strategist. And I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of the _whole _of Asgard."

"Well then it is settled! Tomorrow, we shall play again, and I will prove to you that I can succeed at your silly game."

"Would you care to make a wager on that?" Loki asked, his eyes gleaming. Thor opened his mouth to respond.

"Now what is this? My boys betting against each other?" Frigg swept into the corridor. "I won't have this! Thor, you should know better than to wager against your little brother. And Loki, you should not take advantage of Thor in this way. Do you know I don't think that you've _ever _lost a wager with him?" she shook her head fondly. "Now I'll have no more of this kind of talk between my boys. Go on with you, hurry along and get to dinner."

Ducking their heads, the brothers exchanged glances like they had when they were little boys causing mischief all through Asgard. "Yes, mother."

Thor waited until his mother was out of hearing range to turn to Loki. "So what would you wager on our little challenge?" he asked.

_fin._

**ovovovo**

_A/N: The way they're portrayed in the movie, Thor's philosopy is "hit it really hard until it goes away", while Loki is less inclined to attack without thinking. I figured that the game of chess would be perfect for them. _


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